The Chesterton Boys Soccer team battled the Valparaiso Vikings in a match on Wednesday, August 31 following the girls team’s win just one night before. Micheal Shumate, a sophomore, put the Trojans ahead 1-0 early in the game, with a beautiful strike from the left side of the field into the back right of the net. The Trojans continued to pepper multiple shots, leading to Valparaiso goalie Luke Ribordy making phenomenal and consistent saves. The Vikings gained control of the ball, and were able to earn a penalty kick early on in the half. Trojan keeper Ethan Boedeker showed he was ready for the pressure of the moment, faking left and diving right to make the save. 

As the pressure mounted, Ribordy became antsy in goal, and came way out of the net to make a play.  Instead, the Valpo keeper received a yellow card after being called for an intentional trip of Chesterton forward Gage Torres. While goalies do not typically get cards, Bibordy was a bit overzealous on this one, resulting in the card and of course, Viking fans announcing their disapproval with a chorus of boos. Torres received a penalty shot in compensation, and extended the Trojan lead to 2-0. Kaden Donnella showed why he wears the captain’s band for his team, asserting his dominance with his aggressive play on the field. During the heat of the rivalry, Donnella took his aggressiveness a bit far causing the referees to issue him a yellow card as well. This led to a free kick for Valparaiso’s designated kicker, Max Johnson. Thankfully, Boedeker was able to stop that as well.  As the half progressed, Donnella took his fair share of a beating too, as he does most games, giving up his body for the sake of the team’s success. 

     “I did it for my team, because I know they would do it for me,” Donnella expressed.  

    , and eventually the first half ended with Chesterton on top, 2-0.

     The second half started off matching the intensity of the first. Not long after the start of the second half, Valparaiso received a yellow card for pushing a Chesterton player, which led to Trojans forward Danny Serianni’s red card. After finding his way into the commotion, Serianni struck a Valpo player from behind, earning him the red card, and the team the burden of playing 10-on-11.  Despite his attempt to stand up for a teammate, Chesterton then had to play a man down for the remainder of the game. Freshman Cal Struckert and senior Gage Kruper displayed their skills throughout the game, getting the ball to their offensive side, and making great lead passes time and time again. After a couple of Boedeker saves, the Vikings finally placed a goal perfectly out of Boedekers reach. It wouldn’t be without a bit of weirdness though: the ball deflected off of a player, to the crossbar, and hit an angle that created so much spin, that Boedeker just lost it.

     With this newfound momentum, the Vikings began another rally in which they dominated the time of possession, large in part to Chesterton’s playing with less players. While Valpo continued to amass shot attempts, none were able to cross the end line that Boedeker protected so well. Boedeker stressed the effort from the fans as a major factor in the win.

     “It’s the best feeling, with the crowd we’ve got, it just brings the atmosphere up and makes the win even better,” Boedeker said.

     Rivalry games tend to lead to more tension, which became obvious in this one to all spectators. In fact, the game was so chippy that there were five total cards distributed, including the aforementioned red to Serianni. The Trojans were able to finish off the Vikings 2-1, advancing their record to 6-0.